GAR Monument

The GAR Monument was erected by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1873 to memorialize local men who lost their lives during the Civil War. The monument contains a bronze Union Soldier atop a light gray granite base with four bronze plaques listing the names of the dead. The base also contains two medallions with a relief of the head of Abraham Lincoln.

We treated the GAR Monument as part of a large, multi-monument contract with the National Cemetery Administration. The bronze soldier had previously been over-cleaned and coated with a thick, heavily pigmented lacquer, covering areas of green corrosion and widespread pitting, an original casting flaw. The Lincoln medallions had been over-painted with several layers of yellow and brown paint. All bronze elements were stripped of existing coatings, cleaned, re-patinated to even out the coloration, and coated with a clear lacquer. The medallions, which had been mounted with inappropriate hardware, were re-mounted with specially fabricated hardware

Treatment of the granite base included cleaning and patching of holes.